Resident State Trooper Greg Naylor

Medal cites his exceptionally high rate of crimes solved
By Sally Quale

Norfolk’s Resident State Trooper Greg Naylor is not only a first responder but also a crime solver, and such a good one that late last year the Connecticut State Police awarded him the Medal for Outstanding Service.

The medal is given to a trooper who “successfully performs an extreme, complex or difficult investigation” and who “may demonstrate exceptional skill or ingenuity in the apprehension of a wanted person.”

The award stems from a home burglary case last May in which Naylor assumed the primary investigative role from Trooper Stephen Luba, who had responded to the initial burglary and also received a medal. He revisited the crime scene, further interviewed local residents and eventually located three suspects at a residence in the neighborhood. Stolen jewelry from the burgled home was found inside and the arrests were made.

Naylor reports that his work in Norfolk involves mostly petty crimes or random acts of violence, usually related to the need for cash to purchase drugs.  “Most residential robberies go unsolved,” he says. “Only 10 percent nationally are solved.”

In Norfolk, however, 70 per cent of residential robberies are solved. “Greg has solved many a crime in town,” says First Selectman Sue Dyer. “Almost since day one, he has been like a dog with a bone who won’t give up until he finds it.”

Naylor is quick to volunteer the sense of responsibility he feels for the residents of Norfolk, who, he says, “stand out as special folks because of their esprit de corps and their generosity to one another.”

He notes that he most enjoys the work he does year round with town organizations and groups of all ages in an effort to educate and prepare residents in how best to respond to criminal activity. He is also active in  the anti-drug program DARE that he brings to Botelle students each year.

Naylor is on duty from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. for five days, followed by three days off. He operates out of a patrol car or the town’s Resident Trooper office on route 44 and can be reached 860-542-5240.